Chapter 237: Fishing (3)
After sealing my inventory with a suppression bracelet, they proceeded with a body search. I had already removed my S-rank wildcat gear, leaving only a handful of A-rank items. Even so, the middle-aged man marveled at the quality of my equipment. For a C-rank, it did seem a bit excessive.
I also signed a contract stating that I wouldn’t disclose anything I saw or heard here. Since he was only A-rank, it wouldn’t impose any penalties on me.
“Just so you know, now that you’ve come this far, don’t think about backing out.”
“There won’t be anything left to back out from soon enough.”
I answered confidently, and he simply shrugged.
Exiting through the store’s back door, we passed through a narrow alleyway and entered another building. From there, we followed the same pattern, moving again to a third location. The alleyways were tightly enclosed, blocked from all sides—even the rooftops were covered. Twisting through what was practically a maze made it impossible to guess our direction.
Even if someone had second thoughts and tried to escape, all they had to do was block a few of these passageways, and it’d be nearly impossible to find their way back to the hideout.
“This guy…?”
An A-rank guarding the third building’s back entrance eyed me suspiciously.
“For now, he’s a guest.”
The A-rank stepped aside, letting us enter a hidden room that led to an underground staircase.
Aside from the lack of windows, the room looked like an ordinary reception area.
“Wait here,” the man said before stepping away.
An underground hideout—this really has that resistance fighter feel to it.
I suddenly wondered what had happened to the original Achates.
‘Alpha wouldn’t have gone berserk, and I wouldn’t have even existed.’
Would things have remained the same until the world ended?
It felt strange. This was someone else’s city, already long gone, but even my own world had changed significantly because of my regression.
“The rumored C-rank, I presume? Nice to meet you.”
The door opened, and someone strode in with confident steps.
A woman, seemingly in her early twenties, with short white hair. The middle-aged man was with her as well.
[S-rank Bitera]
“The rumored S-rank, I presume? A pleasure.”
I stood up and greeted her. She gestured for me to sit.
Bitera sat across from me and got straight to the point.
“So, what do you want?”
“It’s simple. I need you to help me destroy the Achates Defense Bureau and take Alpha.”
“What…?”
Bitera wasn’t the only one left speechless. The middle-aged man standing slightly to the side looked equally dumbfounded.
“…That’s not simple at all. Are you insane?”
“For the most part, I’m fine.”
“Or maybe just a con artist looking for a quick payday.”
“I am looking to hit big and run, but I’m not a con artist. You take Achates. I take Alpha. That’s the deal. Everything is already in place—you just need to give it a little push. Or would you prefer things to stay as they are?”
“Like hell we would.”
Bitera’s voice was a low growl.
“You’re an outsider, so you probably don’t know the full extent of Achates’ corruption. One of the Defense Bureau’s S-rank guards is my sister.”
“Your sister?”
Now that she mentioned it, I had seen a white-haired S-rank before.
“Controlling high-rank guards isn’t easy, even for the Bureau. In Achates, all children must be sent to state-run education facilities. They’re enrolled at five years old. The system itself is well-maintained—especially when it comes to physical training.”
“…Are they brainwashed from that age?”
“They instill loyalty to the city and trust in the Defense Bureau, but it’s just schooling at that stage—brainwashing would be impossible. At least until then. Once they turn ten, children with exceptional physical ability undergo further testing. If the Blue Hole screening reveals potential for A-rank or higher combat awakening, they immediately become property of the Defense Bureau.”
“Ten-year-olds? Are they out of their damn minds?”
I couldn’t help but curse.
A ten-year-old was still a kid.
Even back when dungeons were breaking out left and right, Hunter qualifications were restricted to those aged fourteen and above. And even then, they had to meet strict conditions—eventually, the minimum age was raised to adulthood.
Seeing my genuine outrage, Bitera’s expression softened just a bit.
“There are rare cases where high-rank Awakeners fail the screening, but 99% of them are taken by force. It’s easy to mold unawakened children into loyal servants of the Bureau. And according to rumors, they even use mental-type skills on S-ranks. With most A— to S-rank guards being raised in the Bureau, and with a powerful force of combat guards under their control, the lower-ranked guards and even civilians have no choice but to comply.”
“…And yet, you managed to escape.”
Bitera gave a bitter smile.
“My parents lost my sister to the Bureau. When they saw that I was also excelling in physical training, they smuggled me out before I turned ten. Mister here helped a lot.”
She glanced at the man beside her. He smiled and dipped his head slightly.
“It was nothing, young lady.”
The middle-aged man, Gnos, had once been a Defense Bureau guard.
As one of the earliest Awakeners, he had witnessed Achates’ gradual descent into tyranny. Unable to stand by, he led an uprising alongside like-minded individuals over a decade ago.
But they failed.
Since then, he had been running an underground resistance, focusing mainly on smuggling children out of the Bureau’s grasp.
“We’re not just rescuing kids with high physical scores—we’re also doing everything we can to extract the ones the Bureau has already taken. Some escape with their parents to safe houses, but if that’s not possible, we send them to Lanchea.”
“Lanchea?”
“Lanchea’s Lambda has been secretly supporting us. I awakened and trained as a guard there. We also trade equipment and byproducts with them.”
It made sense. Operating as a guard in Achates without external support would be nearly impossible. I had wondered how they managed engravings and mana replenishment, but apparently, one of the people who escaped with Gnos had been an engraving specialist.
As for mana replenishment—
“We dug several tunnels near the Mana Hall. Luckily, we have a guard with a high-level digging skill.”
They’ve really been through it.
It would be much easier if they could just produce mana potions and trade them. I considered giving them a few as a gift before we started, but I needed every bit of my own points. Since I didn’t have an engraving, I had to stock up on mana potions myself.
But could they even use the mana potions from my world?
Mana itself should be the same, so it should work.
“So, what’s your plan? How exactly are you going to take down the Defense Bureau and claim Alpha? I’m really curious.”
Bitera leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming with interest.
“Especially now that Sigma is here. Alpha may be restrained, but Sigma is at full strength.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
I pulled out my contract with Sigma and showed it to them. The clause stating that he wouldn’t interfere, directly or indirectly, until Alpha was freed made both of them widen their eyes in surprise.
Their trust in me visibly increased.
I put the contract back in my inventory and crossed my legs. Ah, the scarf—forgot about it again.
“If you just follow my lead, I’ll make sure everything falls into place. First, among the Defense Bureau’s S-rank guards—do you know Irico and Kubils?”
“They’re my top two worst enemies.”
“Then they’ll be easy to lure out, won’t they?”
Bitera smirked.
“Of course.”
Good. I grinned back and began explaining the details of my plan.
“This whole place feels off.”
An Achates Defense Bureau employee muttered as he stared at the surveillance monitors. The screens displayed various angles of the Blue Hole, the mana absorption formation, and Alpha, still restrained above it.
Another employee nearby nodded.
“A monster infiltrating the Bureau… It’s been how long since that happened? And now we have Alpha going berserk, one incident after another.”
“At this rate, an SS-rank monster might show up next. At least we have Lord Sigma here—that’s a relief.”
Just as they were hoping for a quiet night, the emergency alert started flashing. A frantic voice came through the phone.
[This is Bitera!]
“What?”
[S-rank guards Irico and Kubils have been challenged to a fight. The challenger even specified a location, saying they should come if they have the guts.]
“Then we have to send them! What’s the higher-ups’ stance?”
[Given how confident the challenger sounds, they suspect it’s a trap. But there’s still strong support for sending both guards. The only concern is the engraving connection to Alpha—they want confirmation from Alpha’s handlers.]
“…Of all people, it had to be those two. But we still have one left, so it should be fine. And with Lord Sigma here, even if Alpha gets loose, he can handle it.”
If Sigma weren’t around, they might have hesitated more. But with a peak-condition SS-rank guard—one far more experienced than Alpha—there was no reason to overthink it.
Orders were given.
The two S-rank guards departed the Bureau.
With a loud roar, two motorcycles tore through the empty night streets. Unbeknownst to them, another S-rank guard followed silently behind, hidden from view. If Bitera really was at the designated location, they would ensure she was dealt with for good.
“Would she really show up? Even if she’s bold, calling out two S-rank guards is insane.”
— Screeeech!
Instead of a reply, a wingless, insect-type monster blocked the road ahead.
The creature was three times the size of a motorcycle, but Kubils didn’t slow down. He simply pulled out a five-meter-long metal rod and flicked it like a whip.
Whack!
With a sharp crack, the monster burst apart as if it had been hit by an explosion. The bikes crushed its remains under their wheels as they sped forward without hesitation.
“They confirmed from a distance—it’s her, all right.”
“Then let’s end this tonight! If those damn pests have a problem, they should move to another city instead of stirring up trouble here!”
Ahead of them, scorched earth came into view.
The meeting point Bitera had chosen was none other than the commercial district where Alpha had gone berserk.
Beyond the barren ruins, in an area that had suffered less fire damage, a partially collapsed building stood.
Someone was sitting atop the rubble.
Under the moonlight, white hair gleamed faintly.
Screech!
The two guards braked hard, parking their motorcycles before stepping off.
Bitera remained still.
As the two S-ranks slowly closed the distance, they both frowned.
Something felt off.
They sensed something was wrong with the human figure sitting there—just as they realized it wasn’t real.
“Huh?”
“What the hell?!”
A sudden warping sensation rippled through the air.
— Kuo-oooooo!
A monstrous roar crashed down upon them, carrying a terrifying pressure.
I purchased an item from the points shop. It cost a whopping 530,000 points.
Between the Doppelganger Doll and the master keys I needed, my points were disappearing fast.
[The two hunting dogs have been released.]
The message came through my earpiece—the two S-rank guards had left the Defense Bureau.
Good. They took the bait.
Now, it was time to give them a proper welcome.
In front of me sat Bitera’s Doppelganger Doll. For the benefit of any Defense Bureau employees monitoring from a distance, I occasionally shifted its posture slightly to mimic natural movement. Unless they got close, no one below S-rank would be able to tell it was fake.
Screeeech!
After some time, I heard the sound of motorcycles skidding against the pavement in the distance. Almost simultaneously, my earpiece whispered that the hunting dogs had arrived.
Smiling, I took out the disk.
As expected, the second summoning point for the disk was in Achates City.
‘Please take care of this.’
I needed at least two monsters again. If they were weak, I’d have to use additional items, but that would burn through the rest of my points.
Please let there be at least two SS-rank monsters.
I pressed the button, silently praying.
The air trembled. Space distorted.
And then—
— Kuo-ooooo!
— Kyaaaaah!
One. Two.
— Grrrrr.
Then three! Yes! Thank you!
Even with S-rank Fear Resistance, I could feel my body trembling—this meant all three were SS-rank. Triple lucky!
As the two S-rank guards’ faces twisted in horror, I generously tossed five B-rank bombs their way.
At the same time, I activated my prepared item.
[Gallop of the Legless Horse – S-rank
Allows silent, instantaneous movement over a set distance. Cannot be used if obstacles block the path.
Single-use: 3km (can be divided into three uses)]
In the blink of an eye, my surroundings changed.
Only after moving did I hear the delayed boom of the bombs exploding in the distance. The enraged monsters roared, their violent cries shaking the ground.
Standing on a rooftop, I lifted a pair of binoculars to observe the situation.
Between the towering monsters, the S-rank guards were struggling just to dodge attacks.
‘They won’t last long.’
Another S-rank guard had secretly followed them, but even with three of them, they were outmatched.
Soon, the two SS-rank monsters would clean up the mess.
Rest in peace—though you weren’t even real to begin with.
I dashed across the rooftop and used my second teleportation.
The monster sounds completely faded.
The city, deep in slumber, was utterly silent.
I pressed the button on my earpiece to switch communication channels.
“Three hunting dogs caught. What’s the status of the kennel?”
[Right now, the… SS-rank monsters… No, how—]
“Calm down.”
[It’s chaos! The Bureau is deploying all their S-rank guards. They even requested Sigma’s assistance, but he refused.
Still, the Solemnise guards are here, so they plan to stall with all their S-ranks until Lambda arrives.
Also… there’s talk of having C-rank Han Yujin handle Alpha.
But seriously—how did you pull this off?]
“With love, friendship, and hope.”
[…Excuse me?]
“Never mind. It was nonsense.”
I had used up all 3km of my teleportation, but I was still some distance from the Defense Bureau.
I sprinted across rooftops. Despite the slopes, my wildcat boots let me run as if on flat ground.
K-thunk!
I pushed off the roof, leaping toward the opposite building’s wall.
A sheer, vertical drop.
I landed smoothly and climbed up without issue.
Then, a message window popped up.
A hidden quest had been completed.
[★ Successfully Eliminated Multiple S-rank Guards Using Love, Friendship, and Hope! ^▽^ ☆
You successfully lured three S-rank guards into a flawless borrowed knife strategy! Your proud partner has sent a celebratory gift!
Reward: 830P, Handcrafted Hot Pink Fur Scarf, Medsang 21st Anniversary Champagne, Wide-Area Bait (SS)]
…
You—!
I had thought something seemed fishy.
I had doubted it.
But I assumed that, no matter what, it was impossible.
That the system wouldn’t allow it.
Yet here it was—practically an advertisement.
“Seong Hyunjae!”
Where the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing?!
–TL Notes–
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